Thank you to everyone who made the National Conference and Awards possible
Our first ‘in person’ Conference and Awards for three years broke historic attendance records with 270 delegates and more than 400 guests at a sparkling awards dinner in London hosted by the comedian Zoe Lyons.
More than 50 speakers across three busy theatres at the Novotel London West addressed the conference theme: ‘Bringing buildings to life’ from a wide variety of angles including current and future skills, the decarbonisation challenge, human health and well-being, and the implications of the country’s current economic woes.
The Conference also saw the launch of World Ventil8 Day – a global initiative aimed at improving ventilation standards in buildings to protect the health, well-being, and productivity of people worldwide.
The Association was supporting the mental health charity Light House Club with a £10 donation for every delegate. BESA members were also able to attend the conference for free thanks to the high level of sponsorship received. We raised a fantastic £2,500 in total for the Light House Club.
You can view the full PR here
View all of the images here
SEE YOU NEXT YEAR - 12 OCTOBER 2023
If you would like to attend, speak, exhibitor or sponsor next years event please get in touch: charlie.pierpoint@thebesa.com
The Programme
The conference will feature three content packed theatres which will host keynote speakers, panel sessions, technical explorations and industry inspiration.
The BESA Theatre will host our keynotes and our big panel sessions designed to generate animated and informed debate.
Our two Technical Theatres will deep dive into the detail of all things technical. Plus, will also feature a selection of sessions on a range of other non-technical topics from diversity in recruitment and staff retention to modern methods of monitoring indoor air quality (IAQ) to the business impact of the current economic situation and the best practice on pricing projects.
Click on the session title to view more information
The Future Building – what will our industry look like in 10-20 years’ time?
The Future Building – what will our industry look like in 10-20 years’ time?
Technology is changing the world and many of the jobs carried out by humans now will be done by machine in the future…including many engineering roles.
China is currently building a dam using no human labour at all with the project driven by Artificial Intelligence; and the urgent need to move away from fossil fuels is already starting to transform the way we interact with buildings.
This session will look at the implications all this and more has for our industry and the type of jobs we will be doing in the future.
Panellists: Frances Brown, Associate Director, Hoare Lea
Carl Collins, Head of Digital Engineering, CIBSE
Mark Enzer OBE, Strategic Advisor, Mott MacDonald
The Human Building – why a building is like a human body and what that means for its services
The Human Building – why a building is like a human body and what that means for its services
Building services bring buildings to life. If the structure is the skeleton, then the services are the brain, lungs, and arteries that make the building function.
This session will examine how we can use this metaphor to demonstrate the value our industry delivers and how that can be leveraged to increase investment in building engineering firms and, by improving understanding of what we do, help with recruitment and retention of skilled people.
Saskia Lorrison, Workplace Consultant, Workplace 360
Fracesca Brady – CEO, Air Rated
Andrew Denman-Davies, Senior Designer, Area
Can businesses meet the net zero challenge?
Can businesses meet the net zero challenge?
Driven by their customers, investors and staff, more and more businesses are exploring how to cut emissions from their operations and supply chains.
Ahead of COP26 in Glasgow last year, thousands of UK firms made new pledges to net zero and the private sector was present at the summit like never before.
But have these pledges translated into action? And what challenges are companies facing in meeting the targets they’ve set themselves?
The CBI’s Decarbonisation Director will provide an overview of how the corporate world is responding.
Keynote: Tom Thackray, Programme Director for Decarbonisation, CBI
The Safe Building – Re-thinking fire safety in buildings
The Safe Building – Re-thinking fire safety in buildings
Buildings have long been designed in silos however, one of the biggest challenges in the post-Grenfell environment is the concept that in order to demonstrate compliance, buildings and their building services need to be considered holistically as a ‘system’.
There are numerous examples where components come together as a single entity and the challenge for industry is that we need to be able to demonstrate how the integrated systems perform together.
The key question in the near future will be, if challenged, can you prove that the design is correct, the installation is in accordance with the design and that the ‘overall system’ is assured to work as intended. This is the essence of the Golden Thread of information.
Speakers and panellists:
Will Pitt, Technical Leader at Laing O'Rourke and BESA Technical Chair
Gill Kernick, Transformation Director, Arup, Ben Adams, Founding Director
Ben Adams Architects
Peter Woodburn, Director, Arup
Hywel Davies, Technical Director, CIBSE
Keynote: Ventilation – the most overlooked building safety issue
Keynote: Ventilation – the most overlooked building safety issue
Professor Noakes FREng FIMechE, who co-chaired the Environment and Modelling Group of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) during the pandemic, will take the opportunity to restate the importance of addressing ventilation as part of the wider national focus on making buildings safer and healthier.
Professor Cath Noakes OBE, Professor of Environmental Engineering for Buildings at the University of Leeds
STEMazing - you can’t be what you can’t see
STEMazing - you can’t be what you can’t see
The STEM skills shortage is estimated to cost UK employers £1.5bn a year. This cost to the economy is huge, but the cost to humanity will be even higher if don’t plug this gap. Alexandra Knight, founder of the ground-breaking STEMazing initiative to improve diversity in engineering and encourage more young people to take up STEM careers, will outline her blueprint for employers and inspire them to reach out in new ways to find the skills they need.
She will emphasise the importance of role models and mentors to attracting and retaining talent – and explain why the key to innovation in engineering is greater diversity. This will then be followed by a panel discussion featuring STEMazing Ambassadors.
Panellists: Alexandra Knight, Founder and CEO, Stemazing
Lisa-Jayne Cook, Key accounts, GEA Group and STEM-Ambassador
Steve Gill, World Refrigeration Day,
Lucy Sherburn, Consulting Engineer, FairHeat
The Healthy Building – keeping people happy, healthy, and productive
The Healthy Building – keeping people happy, healthy, and productive
The pandemic has illustrated the importance of making buildings infection resilient and the influence the building engineering sector has on health critical issues like water and air quality; temperature, humidity, light, and noise.
This session will examine the rapid progress made on all these fronts, but also how much further we must go to make our buildings truly healthy and safe for future generations.
Chair: Nathan Wood, BESA Wellbeing in Buildings Chairman and Director, Farmwood,
Panellists: Joanna Watchman, Founder, Work in Mind
Kat Ringland, Sustainability Associate, BDP
Simon Jones, Head of Air Quality, Ambisense
Don’t get stranded - keeping buildings fit for purpose
Don’t get stranded - keeping buildings fit for purpose
The need to keep up with energy efficiency targets and the growing awareness of the role played by buildings in protecting the health and well-being of occupants mean many buildings could soon no longer be fit for purpose.
This session will examine the risk that many owners and investors will end up with ‘stranded assets’ that can no longer be let or sold for commercial use because they do not meet tightening regulatory and performance obligations – including new minimum energy efficiency standards.
It will consider the importance of performance-based design; commissioning; and ongoing maintenance and refurbishment – and techniques for persuading clients to make better up-front investment decisions.
Chair: Andy Green, Technical Director and Solution Architect in Digital and Asset Management, Atkins
Panellists: Chris Newman, Net Zero Design Manager, Mitsubishi Electric
Robert McNamara, Director, Capitec
Ian Lammas, Mechanical Quality Control Manager, Imtech Engineering Services
Boilers versus heat pumps – and other heating myths
Boilers versus heat pumps – and other heating myths
This session will look at the whole range of options available to the domestic heating sector on the road to decarbonisation. It will reject the polarising of the debate which has created a false narrative suggesting homeowners have to make a straight choice between boilers and heat pumps. The future for the residential heating market is likely to be far more nuanced than that, and our expert panel will look at the future for renewable heating technologies, the opportunities for hydrogen and address many of the myths around heat pumps…among other things!
Chair: Richard Merritt, Chair of BESA's RACHP Group and Director at AC Solutions Group
Panellists: Peter Thom, Managing Director, Green Heat
Hamid Salimi, Product Specialist - Heating and Renewables, Daikin
Scott Mason, Director, Mesh
Your Road to Net Zero
Your Road to Net Zero
Mitsubishi Electric will present on the Road to Net Zero and why there is now an increased focus on the embodied carbon of products and systems in the built environment.
Chair: Rab Fletcher, BESA President
Speaker: Martin Fahey, Head Of Sustainability at Mitsubishi Electric UK & IRE
Too much talk not enough action – the IAQ challenge
Too much talk not enough action – the IAQ challenge
This year’s National Clean Air Day turned the spotlight on the country’s growing indoor air quality (IAQ) crisis with high profile examples of contaminated air inside hospitals, offices, schools, and hospitality venues.
However, it also highlighted the fact that, despite unprecedented focus on this issue, very little action is being taken in thousands of buildings around the country. Better IAQ monitoring has exposed the depth of the crisis, but many people are asking: ‘What now?’
This session will focus on practical solutions and regulatory reforms – and point out that most of the engineering answers are already in place and are cheap to implement. So, there really is no excuse!
Chair: Nathan Wood, BESA Wellbeing in Buildings Chairman and MD, Farmwood
Panellists: Mark Grayston, Product Strategy and Delivery Manager, Mitsubishi Electric
Doug Booker, Co-Founder and CEO, National Air Quality Testing Services Ltd
Dr Henry Burridge, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Fluid Mechanics, Imperial College London and lead for the “Schools' Air Quality Monitoring for Health and Education (SAMHE)” project.
Real-world benefits of applying Needlepoint Bi-polar Ionisation as part of a multi-layered approach to improving IAQ
Real-world benefits of applying Needlepoint Bi-polar Ionisation as part of a multi-layered approach to improving IAQ
To improve indoor air quality (IAQ), many experts recommend two time-tested approaches, 1) increasing ventilation and 2) upgrading, if possible, air filters in a building’s HVAC system. Each have limitations.
For example, opening windows and doors to bring in ‘fresh air’ often introduces contaminates found outdoors, including ubiquitous fine and ultrafine particulate matter (PM) and high concentrations of Ozone that are harmful to human health. This is especially troublesome for people who live, learn and/or work in congested urban environments that have poor outdoor air quality.
Also, many homes and buildings are old and serviced by antiquated HVAC systems that cannot accommodate higher rated filters. Additionally, higher rated filters are expensive, must be replaced several times a year, and increase resistance to airflow, which forces the HVAC system to work harder, shortening their life cycle while increasing energy costs. Most filters, including high rated ones, have pronounced weak spots capturing microscopic and sub microscopic PM.
When it comes to IAQ, which is complicated, there are no silver bullets. Needlepoint Bi-Polar Ionisation can help deliver real-world benefits by applying it as a multi-layered approach to reduce airborne particles and improve IAQ.
In this presentation, we will discuss application and practical benefits of Needlepoint Bi-Polar Ionisation.
Speaker: Scott Gugenheim, CEM – Executive VP of Sales, GPS Air
The Future Engineer
The Future Engineer
Following on from the main plenary session when we set the scene, this discussion will feature a panel of experts looking at the likely nature of building engineering services 10, 20, 30 and more years into the future.
Our industry is already changing rapidly to meet new challenges like net zero and smart buildings with technologies like AI, virtual reality and remote diagnostics transforming the day-to-day role of the building services specialist.
This session will consider how far, how quickly and in what direction these changes will go and what we all need to be doing to prepare for our life as ‘future engineers’.
Chair: Jennifer Cox, Electrical Engineer, Aecom
Panellists: Duncan Reed, Business Development Manager, Trimble
Cameron Beech, DX and VRF Product Manager, Tohsiba
Politics of Climate Change in the built environment
Politics of Climate Change in the built environment
The climate agenda is driven by political sentiment and events, the Government has set unachievable targets and will be asking those in the built environment to deliver.
What levers will they use and what measures will they impose?
Chair: Kevin Morrissey, Engineering Manager, HE Simm
Speaker: Lord Rupert Redesdale, Member of the House of Lords
The Non Engineer – making engineering work
The Non Engineer – making engineering work
Not all jobs in engineering are for engineers. In fact, the growing need for more diverse skills means engineering companies are keen to attract people from many different backgrounds who can support engineers and, because they look at things from a non-engineering perspective, can spot new opportunities and suggest different.
This session will give examples of this and discuss how the world of engineering is developing to become more inclusive of people with different abilities. It will also consider how we can expand this approach to help address our skills gaps and deliver more innovation.
Chair: Graeme Fox, Head of Technical, BESA
Panellists: Lisa-Jayne Cook, Key accounts, GEA Group and STEM-Ambassador
Samantha Buckell, PA to the Managing Director at Bitzer UK
Karen Perry, Head of Customer Service, Daikin UK
Diane Drummond, Director, B-DACS Air Conditioning Services
Women in Construction - a success story
Women in Construction - a success story
The number of women coming into the industry is on the rise, but progress on creating a truly diverse workforce remains slow.
This session will feature a line-up of inspirational female engineers determined to make our industry more welcoming and inclusive – and to accelerate the pace of change. They will focus on the positives by demonstrating how barriers to entry are being removed and talk about the many success stories of female engineers who are leading innovation and change across building services.
By focusing on positive journeys and how to inspire companies to attract women, they will provide a blueprint for employers and explain how to develop successful recruitment and retention strategies.
Chair: Claire Curran, Managing Director, Linaker
Panellists: Ella Clark, Mechanical Engineer, Aecom
Lucy Sherburn, Consulting Engineer, FairHeat,
Natasha Watson, Embodied Carbon Lead, Buro Happold
Fire dampers on the front line
Fire dampers on the front line
The controversy surrounding passive fire protection continues to grow and the need to carry out more rigorous risk assessments in line with new legislation is creating greater pressure on building owners and managers in the wake of the Grenfell tragedy.
As a result, the role of fire dampers and smoke dampers has gained unaccustomed attention. What has often been a widely ignored part of a building’s safety systems is now sharply in focus with clients anxious about meeting their statutory obligations.
This has major implications for damper testing regimes and the competence of the firms employed to locate, test, and maintain these safety critical devices.
This session will introduce the latest BESA fire protection guidance and provide vital new advice on responsibilities and practical actions to keep building occupants safe.
Chair: Will Pitt, Technical Leader at Laing O'Rourke and BESA's Technical Committee Chair
Panellists: Peter Rogers, Technical Consultant, BESA
Paul Downing, Principal Consultant, Compliance Air and Water
Paul White, Current President of FETA and HEVAC, Ventilation Fire and Smoke
Darren Kirk, Director, Fire Safety Partnership
Industry bodies unite to make a ‘momentous’ shift in the use of data
Industry bodies unite to make a ‘momentous’ shift in the use of data
The annual market for UK building maintenance is estimated at over £60bn, but a large proportion of that money is not being properly targeted to reduce running costs, carbon emissions, and to keep buildings operating safely and efficiently.
Conference delegates will have the chance to take part in an open forum with representatives from SFG20, RICS and NBS who are working together to align their data structures. This will bridge the gap between the collection of digital information at the construction stage (or during refurbishment projects) to help building managers develop accurate asset registers that can inform maintenance plans.
Panellists:
Andy Green, Technical Director and Solution Architect in Digital and Asset Management, Atkins
Alan Muse, Global Director of Built Environment, RICS
Paul Swaddle, Head of Technical Solutions, NBS
Ian Giles, Director, Encred and co-opt’d committee member of the CIBSE FM Group
Kirsty Cogan, Managing Director - Commercial Services, BESA
BESA CAS Audit, What you need to know
BESA CAS Audit, What you need to know
A session giving a brief overview of the CAS audit, discovering what the top non-conformances are followed by Q&A with the panel.
Chair: Duncan Sibbald, Head of Certification, BESA
Panellists: Russell Mott, Independent Auditor, Trainer & Assessor, ATLAS UK
Chris Major, Certification Manager, BESA
Janet Shelley, Head of Membership Operations, BESA
Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Session 4
Session 5
Session 6
Session 7
Session 8
Session 9
Session 10
Session 11

Mark Batchelor
Associate Director, Capitec

Claire Curran
Managing Director, Linaker

Graeme Fox
Head of Technical, BESA

Rob McNamara
Director, Capitec

Kevin Morrissey
Engineering Manager, HE Simm

Tom Thackray
Programme Director of Decarbonisation, CBI

Peter Thom
Managing Director, Green Heat

Joanna Watchman
Founder, Workinmind

Dr Natasha Watson
Embodied Carbon – UK Lead, Buro Happold

Paul White
Director, Ventilation Fire Smoke I Current President of FETA and HEVAC

Nathan Wood
BESA Wellbeing in Buildings Chairman - MD at Farmwood

Peter Woodburn
Director I Fire Engineering, Arup

Mark Grayston
Mark Grayston, Product Strategy and Delivery Manager, Mitsubishi Electric

Chris Newman
Net Zero Design Manager, Mitsubishi Electric

Carl Collins
Head of Digital Engineering, CIBSE

Douglas Booker
Co-Founder & CEO at NAQTS

Steve Tomkins
Director of Product and Business Development, SFG20

Janet Shelley
Head of Membership Operations, BESA

Jennifer Cox
Electrical Engineer Aecom

Cameron Beech
DX & VRF Product Manager, Toshiba Carrier

Ian Lammas
Mechanical Quality Control Manager, Imtech Engineering Services Ltd

Hywel Davies
Technical Director, CIBSE

Kat Radford
Sustainability Associate, BDP

Henry Burridge
Faculty of Engineering, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College

Hamid Salimi
Product Specialist - Heating and Renewables, Daikin UK

Richard Merritt
Chair of the BESA RACHP Group

Scott Gugenheim
Executive VP of Sales, GPS Air

Simon Jones
Head of Air Quality, Amisense

The BESA National Conference is FREE for BESA members and associates!
Although the conference tickets are FREE for members, we will be taking a £10 charitable contribution when you book which will all go to the Light House Club, a wonderful organisation supporting mental health in our sector.
We are also hosting an awards in the evening so why not secure your place for both?
MEMBER TICKETS
- Conference: £10 donation
- Conference and Awards: £180+VAT
- Awards Dinner: £170.00+VAT
- Awards Dinner Table 10: £1,530.00+ VAT
NON-MEMBER TICKETS
- Conference: £130.00+VAT
- Conference and Awards: £270.00+VAT
- Awards Dinner: £190.00+VAT
- Awards Dinner Table 10: £1,710.00+VAT

Lead generation
In-person networking is back! You can engage with the key players in the industry in an intimate "confex" style setting

Brand awareness
Share your brand and messaging with a captive audience of building services professionals

Thought leadership
Be a thought leader and inspire the sector and next generation

Showcase your products
Speak to key decision makers and gain a deeper understanding of their company and sector challenges. If your company's vision matches the conference, this is the perfect event to sponsor. Discover the sponsorship opportunities available.
The conference will open for registration at 9:00am with the speaker programme starting at 09:35. The conference will close at -4:05pm.
The conference will take place at the Novotel London West, International Centre, 1 Shortlands, London, W6 8DR
If you would like to buy a ticket for the conference please visit the ticket booking page
Yes - the conference is open to all - you can buy your ticket via the ticket booking page
No we do not sell tickets on the door. All tickets need to be purchased in advance via the ticket booking page.
No you don't need to, please just give us your name on arrival and we will issue you with your badge.
The Novotel London West has lift access to the floor the conference will be taking place.
You don't need to book in for the talks in advance. Once you have purchased your ticket you will have access to all three theatres.
Yes we will provide refreshments on arrival, lunch and a tea and coffee break. You will be asked for your dietary requirements upon booking.
Yes we have special rates available - Please email h0737-re@accor.com and quote the code: 55036305 with your name and date you wish to stay. This rate is only bookable untill the 20th September.
The rooms are £165 inc VAT for single occupancy and £175 inc VAT For double occupancy.
Once the sun sets on the National Conference, the space will transform into the industry’s sparkling, hot ticket event. The gala dinner which commences at 6.30pm at the Novotel, Hammersmith is dedicated to celebrating and rewarding the industry's apprentices as well as recognising companies and individuals who have impacted the built environment through their dedication, contribution, and hard work.
Get in touch
Conference and Events: Charlie Pierpoint, Event Manager on charlie.pierpoint@thebesa.com or +44 207 313 4906.
BESA membership: Janet Shelley, Head of Membership and Operations on janet.shelley@thebesa.com or +44 345 646 1044